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2022 Annual General Meeting Recap

By Ontario Volleyball Association, 12/08/22, 5:15PM EST

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The AGM brought together the Ontario Volleyball Association membership and community at large to celebrate and inform the membership on the recent fiscal year and to elect new members to the OVA Board of Directors.  

After President  Katie Hutchinson called the meeting to order, Executive Director Jo-Anne Ljubicic presented the 2021-22 Annual Report and a video summarizing the past fiscal year.  

Following the presentation, OVA Director of Finance and Administration, Jennifer Harkness and Vice-President of Finance/Treasurer, Bridget Child provided the membership an overview on the audited financials from 2021-22 and presented the motion to appoint an auditor for the 2023 fiscal year.  

Corinne Williams, the Nominations Committee Chair then led the elections for the two Director at Large positions on the OVA Board:  

Two new members were elected through an online voting system.

Congratulations to Leigh Pearson and Michael Amoroso who were elected to the OVA Board of Directors.  Welcome, Leigh to the OVA and welcome back, Michael as his tenure on the Board continues. A big thank you also goes out to all individuals who put their names forward for this year’s election. 

Leigh Pearson

An engaged volleyball parent, Leigh has taken up the Volleyball for Life mantra and has not looked back.  Starting her professional career at Staples as a Management Trainee she has remained loyal to the organization for over two decades, passionate for their values and being able to work in an environment that makes meaningful contributions that benefit their associates and communities. Through her drive and track record of delivering on key company objectives Leigh has climbed the corporate ladder, currently serving as a Senior Director. With governance and Chair level experience, she is looking forward to sharing her insight and collaborate with the OVA Board of Directors and work towards the goals of the OVA.

"Volleyball has become an integral part of our family. My daughter and I in only a few short years have established life long friendships on and off the court. It has allowed me to experience first hand the power and potential in youth sport both as players and as good stewards of our communities. I look forward to collaborating with like-minded individuals within the association and applying my professional skills to my personal passion – growing and cultivating volleyball in Ontario."

Michael Amoroso

From youth to professional athlete, coach and technical director, Michael Amoroso's life has been entrenched in volleyball. Following a lengthy playing career that spanned national team experience and playing abroad professionally in Europe, Amoroso made the transition to coaching and club development in the OVA system with the likes of Team Ontario, Pakmen Volleyball Club and most recently Bluewater Ballistix. With his volleyball endeavours ever-growing, Amoroso founded Momentum Volleyball - an online hub for Canadian volleyball news - in 2018 and has served on the OVA Board of Directors. We welcome Michael back on the Board, continuing his tenure as a Director at Large and sharing his perspectives from a well-travelled career in the sport. 

"I am honoured to be returning for my third and final term on the Board of Directors and thank the voting members for their confidence in me. The composition of the Board has changed significantly since my first election in 2018, but together with the OVA staff, we are well-equipped to take the next step forward as an association. I look forward to our next strategic plan process and the continuous improvement of volleyball in Ontario!"

This was the final year for Bridget Child (Vice President - Finance/Treasurer) and Corinne Williams (Director at Large) in their respective roles. The OVA would like to thank each of them for their dedicated years of service and contributions during their tenures on the Board.  We know their ongoing dedication to “Volleyball For Life” will continue and the OVA is thankful for their collaboration with the staff and membership to continually develop our sport.    

The new OVA Board of Directors is as follows: 

President – Katie Hutchinson  
Vice-President of Finance/Treasurer – Vacant
Vice President of Administration/Secretary – Daphne Choi 
Director, Regional Engagement – Danny Gosselin 
Director at Large – Howie Grossinger 
Director at Large – Leigh Pearson
Director at Large – Michael Amoroso 
Athletes’ Representative- Victoria Altomare 

Fiscal 2021-22 saw the landscape of youth sports return to form with programs given the green light to run to full capacity. The perseverance and fore-planning of staff and clubs during the pandemic made for an easier transition into getting the indoor and beach seasons back on track which were greeted with much enthusiasm. We remained adaptive and held strong in an optimistic manner and are seeing its effects with a tremendous 2022-23 indoor season enrollment.  

This sentiment will lead us through the New Year as we prepare for more weekend tournaments and convention centre formatted events for more team participation, which will ultimately lead us to the 2023 Ontario Championships, poised to be the largest one to date. We look forward to seeing you back on the courts after the holiday break.